Wireless communication systems provide a user device wireless access to communication services. Wireless communication systems allow users to move about and communicate over the air with access communication networks. Wireless communication devices, such as smartphones, tablet computers, and other media devices exchange data packets with data communication networks to provide data communication services, such as internet access, media streaming, voice calls, and text messaging.
Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a popular wireless data technology. Using LTE, User Equipment (UE) detects an evolved NodeB (eNodeB) base station and responsively exchanges Radio Resource Configuration (RRC) signaling with the eNodeB. The eNodeB then transfers an S1-Application Protocol (S1-AP) message to a Mobility Management Entity (MME). The MME transfers a Diameter request message to a Home Subscriber System (HSS) and in response, receives a Diameter response from the HSS indicating the Access Point Name (APN) and associated APN information like a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW) identifier, Packet Data Network (PDN) type, default Quality-of-Service (QoS) Class Identifier (QCI), and default Aggregate Maximum Bit Rate (AMBR).
The MME then transfers a create session request to a Serving Gateway (S-GW), which in turn transfers a create session request to the P-GW. In response, the P-GW transfers a Diameter request to a Policy Charging Rules Function (PCRF) indicating the APN, default QCI, and default AMBR, and the PCRF applies QoS and accounting rules for the UE. The UE, eNodeB, and MME then exchange additional messaging to set context and the MME then transfers modify bearer signaling to the S-GW, which in turn transfers the modify bearer signaling to the P-GW. The UE may then exchange user data over the eNodeB, S-GW, and P-GW.
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is a popular form of signaling to control the exchange of Internet Protocol (IP) packets between communication devices for media streaming and other data transfer services. The communication devices register their IP addresses with the SIP systems over the IP access networks. The SIP control systems resolve names and numbers for the communication devices to their registered IP addresses. The SIP control systems use the registered IP addresses to exchange SIP messaging for the IP communications sessions. The end-user devices then exchange IP packets over the IP access networks and their communication interfaces. IP Multimedia Subsystems (IMSs) are exemplary SIP control systems.
In some examples, a wireless communication system may employ Carrier Aggregation (CA). CA allows LTE networks to allocate multiple resource blocks in channel timeslots simultaneously to a UE. This increases the bandwidth for the UE to signal, and thereby increases the amount of data that can be transferred over a period of time. However, CA also increases overhead on the uplink for the UE since the UE will be receiving more signal interference due to the increased bandwidth. CA can also cause inefficiencies to the network since there is a limited amount of resource blocks each carrier can allocate and if one UE is allocated more resource blocks, there are fewer resource blocks that may be allocated to other UEs.
When implementing communication media sessions and other latency sensitive services, such as voice over LTE (VoLTE) and video over LTE, quality of service should be at an optimum level. However, when CA is enabled in an LTE network, implementing VoLTE and video over LTE services with continuous coverage at the edge of a cell may be difficult due to the increased use of the uplink control channels by the CA enabled UE which impacts service to end users. Unfortunately, typical CA implementation procedures do not take into consideration the UE and LTE network overhead and poor UE service due to increased interference when using CA for latency sensitive services, such as VoLTE and video over LTE.